"John Surman has produced a magnificent piece of 20th century choral writing, confirming
that he should no longer be regarded simply as one of Britain's leading improvisors and
instrumentalists, but also as a composer of imagination, vision and power" - so raved
the London Times of the premiere of Surman's Proverbs And Songs, the event documented on this disc. Enhanced by powerful saxophone and bass clarinet soloing from Surman and from John Taylor at the massive Salisbury
Cathedral organ, this oratorium based on Old Testament texts will be perceived as bold shift of direction in Surman's discography. Yet it also throws light on an undocumented aspect of his biography, for Surman was himself a chorister before jazz fired his imagination...